Digital Geekeryhttps://digitalgeekery.com
A Geekery For GeeksThu, 18 Oct 2018 15:16:46 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9GreyEnergy Spy APT Mounts Subtle Effort In opposition to Vital Infrastructurehttps://digitalgeekery.com/greyenergy-spy-apt-mounts-subtle-effort-in-opposition-to-vital-infrastructure/
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 15:08:31 +0000https://digitalgeekery.com/greyenergy-spy-apt-mounts-sophisticated-effort-against-critical-infrastructure/GreyEnergy Spy APT Mounts Sophisticated Effort Against Critical Infrastructure The group is a successor to BlackEnergy and a subset of the TeleBots gang–and its activity is potentially a prelude to a much more destructive attack.
A new APT group, dubbed GreyEnergy by researchers, has emerged as a successor to the infamous BlackEnergy APT group, which was behind the electric grid cyberattack and resulting power outage in the Ukraine in December 2015. However, GreyEnergy’s focus and targeting revolve around cyber-espionage.
According to researchers at ESET, the BlackEnergy threat actors (also known as Sandworm) have morphed into a new group called TeleBots – which was recently linked to the NotPetya attacks last June and also a second attack on the Ukrainian power infrastructure using the Industroyer/CrashOverride malware, in 2016. TeleBots has carried out financial and supply-chain attacks in the Ukraine for the past three years, using a range of soph..

The group is a successor to BlackEnergy and a subset of the TeleBots gang–and its activity is potentially a prelude to a much more destructive attack.

A new APT group, dubbed GreyEnergy by researchers, has emerged as a successor to the infamous BlackEnergy APT group, which was behind the electric grid cyberattack and resulting power outage in the Ukraine in December 2015. However, GreyEnergy’s focus and targeting revolve around cyber-espionage.

According to researchers at ESET, the BlackEnergy threat actors (also known as Sandworm) have morphed into a new group called TeleBots – which was recently linked to the NotPetya attacks last June and also a second attack on the Ukrainian power infrastructure using the Industroyer/CrashOverride malware, in 2016. TeleBots has carried out financial and supply-chain attacks in the Ukraine for the past three years, using a range of sophisticated custom malware.

Now, GreyEnergy has come to light, ESET said, as a subgroup operating in parallel to the main TeleBots gang, but with somewhat different motivations and targeting. It has been using its own malware framework to launch offensives on energy companies and other high-value targets in Ukraine and Poland for the past three years. However, unlike the wiper activity seen with TeleBots, GreyEnergy has an under-the-radar focus on espionage and reconnaissance. The activity is potentially a prelude to a much more destructive attack on utilities or industrial control systems (ICS), researchers said.

“Although ESET telemetry data shows GreyEnergy malware activity over the last three years, this APT group has not been documented until now,” explained ESET researchers Anton Cherepanov and Robert Lipovsky, in a posting on the group on Wednesday. “This is probably due to the fact that those activities haven’t been destructive in nature…[GreyEnergy’s activities are] quite possibly in preparation of future cyber-sabotage attacks or laying the groundwork for an operation run by some other APT group.”

ESET has linked GreyEnergy and BlackEnergy together thanks to strong architectural similarities in their malware, the analysts added. Notably, both groups use the stealth technique of pushing only selected modules to selected targets, and only when needed.

“It is similarly modular in construction, so its functionality is dependent on the particular combination of modules its operator uploads to each of the targeted victim systems,” they explained. They added, “Both employ a ‘mini,’ or light, backdoor deployed before admin rights are obtained and the full version is deployed.” However, GreyEnergy’s code is more modern, they added.

Also, as with BlackEnergy and Industroyer, remote command-and-control (C2) servers used by the GreyEnergy malware are active Tor relays for covert communication.

On the circumstantial evidence front, it should be noted that the appearance of GreyEnergy in the wild coincides with the disappearance of BlackEnergy; and, at least one of the victims targeted by GreyEnergy had been targeted by BlackEnergy in the past. Both focus primarily in the Ukraine, with Poland ranking second.

Also, importantly, in December 2016, ESET noticed an instance of GreyEnergy deploying an early version of the TeleBots’ NotPetya worm, “half a year before it was altered, improved and deployed in the most damaging ransomware outbreak in history,” the researchers said.

“There is significant code reuse between this ransomware component and the GreyEnergy core module,” they added. “We call this early version ‘Moonraker Petya,’ based on the malware writers’ choice of filename – most likely a reference to the James Bond movie. It didn’t feature the infamous EternalBlue spreading mechanism, as it had not been leaked at that time.”

In all, the emergence of GreyEnergy shows an APT malware arsenal that appears to be prodigious, ever-evolving – and sophisticated.

“It should be no surprise that threats like BlackEnergy are morphing into new variants,” Ray DeMeo, co-founder and COO at Virsec, told Threatpost. “There is a large arsenal of advanced hacking tools, many developed by the NSA, now readily available. These are difficult to detect because they manipulate legitimate application processes in runtime memory, and create new variants further evades signature-based detection. More disturbing is that many of these attacks are targeted at disrupting critical infrastructure. Many of these ICS/SCADA systems have outdated security, designed for isolation, which is increasingly disappearing as IT and operational technology systems connect and converge.”

In addition to the custom code, the GreyEnergy operators also employ common external tools in their arsenal, such as Mimikatz, PsExec, WinExe, Nmap and a custom port scanner, ESET found.

“Sandworm (also known as Voodoo Bear) and their specific interest in ICS was long known to us in the research community,” said NETSCOUT’s Hardik Modi, senior director of threat intelligence, via email. “The operations described in the report details the evolution of that group. While they famously used a 0-day in previous operations, this report demonstrates that well understood intrusion tactics such as malicious macros in Word documents, webserver exploitation, propagation via known tools and command-and-control via TOR continue to be effective means of compromising an enterprise. When it comes to ICS organizations, we must get better at keeping these systems secure and isolated, not just for continuity of services, but because actual human lives are at stake when systems cease to function properly.”

]]>The right way to repair Home windows 10 gradual boothttps://digitalgeekery.com/the-right-way-to-repair-home-windows-10-gradual-boot/
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 14:44:00 +0000https://digitalgeekery.com/how-to-fix-windows-10-slow-boot/We show you several solutions that can help you speed up the boot time of your Windows 10 PC. The longer you have been using your PC, the slower it will become as it acquires more programs and files across the Windows 10 operating system. It's worth formatting your hard drive every 2 years or so, but there are some solutions you can try first - such as these fixes to speed up a slow PC, or making some changes to ensure your PC boots faster.
The good news is that we have a few ways to fix a slow booting Windows 10 PC.
1- Stop programs loading at startup When you install new programs, many will want to launch automatically when you start up your PC. This can be a good thing, especially for the likes of OneDrive, Google Drive, or anti-virus packages. It's convenient and - for some apps - essential.
The problem is that as more apps join this list, boot times will become longer. Multiply this by a year or two and your PC can take an age to be usable when you turn it on.
Fixin..

We show you several solutions that can help you speed up the boot time of your Windows 10 PC.

The longer you have been using your PC, the slower it will become as it acquires more programs and files across the Windows 10 operating system. It's worth formatting your hard drive every 2 years or so, but there are some solutions you can try first – such as these fixes to speed up a slow PC, or making some changes to ensure your PC boots faster.

The good news is that we have a few ways to fix a slow booting Windows 10 PC.

1- Stop programs loading at startup

When you install new programs, many will want to launch automatically when you start up your PC. This can be a good thing, especially for the likes of OneDrive, Google Drive, or anti-virus packages. It's convenient and – for some apps – essential.

The problem is that as more apps join this list, boot times will become longer. Multiply this by a year or two and your PC can take an age to be usable when you turn it on.

Fixing this is relatively easy though, as Windows 10 provides controls over which apps are allowed to run at launch. To access these settings hold down CTRL+ALT+DEL and then select Task Manager from the menu that appears.

If this is the first time you’ve used this program you’ll need to click the 'More details' option at the bottom of the window. Now you should see a list of all the programs running on your system.

Select the Start-up tab and you’ll now be able to disable any apps that you think could do without when you first turn on your PC. For a more in-depth explanation of how this works try our How to change Windows 10 startup programs guide.

Bear in mind that you're not removing the programs from your PC. You can still use them, but they won't automatically start up. And it's probably only worth disabling those that have a High or Medium impact.

As a guide, you can usually disable 'updater' or 'helper' programs. The associated program won't automatically update, though, so you'll have to check manually for updates. As we said, these programs run for convenience, mostly.

If you disable something and a crucial feature or function stops working, simply re-enable the app in the Task Manager.

2- Update, update, update

Sometimes a dodgy driver or a bug in an update can cause Windows systems to slow down, so it’s worth making sure Windows, drivers and programs are up to date.

To check for any available Windows updates press the Windows key+I and then select Update & Security. In here you’ll see an option to either check for updates or install ones that are available.

Do this, reboot your machine, and see if there are any improvements.

For drivers, it can be worth installing a 'driver updater' program which will do the hard work for you. Otherwise you'll have to check manually for all your hardware, from a printer, to your graphics card and other hardware attached to your PC.

3 – Check for malware and viruses

Another easy fix is to run a full scan on your system to see if any nasty agents are lurking in the code. Malware is a regular cause of performance drops in Windows, so you should regularly give your PC a health check.

Either use the antivirus software that's installed on your PC already, or if you're using Windows Defender then press Windows key+I, select Update & Security, then click on the Windows Defender section on the left column.

In the Windows that appears you’ll see the top option is Open Windows Defender. Click this then choose Full in the Scan options section and click Scan now.

The process takes a good while, so it’s best to begin a scan before you go to bed and let it run overnight. If you use another security package then you’ll need to launch it and look for similar options.

When the scan is complete you’ll know whether your system is compromised or not. If it is then run any fixes your software advises. If not then you’ll need to move to more drastic measures.

4 – Reset Windows

It’s well worth reinstalling Windows every 18-24 months, as this should keep your system in a sprightly state. Of course this is not a small thing to contend with, and you must ensure that you backup your data beforehand.

Windows has various safeguards in place, but we’d recommend taking a look at our Best Backup software feature for a rock-solid way to protect your photos, music, documents, and other important information.

With your data safely tucked away you can now begin. Press Windows key+I, select Update & Security, then choose Recovery from the list in the left hand column.

At the top of the page you’ll see the option to Reset this PC. Click Get started and you’ll then see a blue box appear with two choices – Keep my files and Remove everything.

Choose the former if you want your data left in place, or the latter for a completely fresh version of Windows 10.

Your PC will now reinstall Windows and hopefully leave you with a much faster boot time when it’s finished.

5- Install an SSD

If all the software avenues have been explored then the final consideration is hardware. Swapping your old hard drive for a new superfast SSD is an easy upgrade that often grants huge speed boosts on older machines.

So if you’re not frightened of opening up your machine, a quick read of our How to install an SSD in your PC would be time well spent.

]]>Fb in recent video metrics rowhttps://digitalgeekery.com/fb-in-recent-video-metrics-row/
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 14:36:49 +0000https://digitalgeekery.com/facebook-in-fresh-video-metrics-row/Facebook in fresh video metrics row Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Video metrics were inaccurate, Facebook admitted in 2016 Facebook was aware of inaccuracies in the way it measured how many people viewed video on its site for a year longer than it has previously admitted, court documents have claimed.
Newly released papers that are part of a US legal action against the social network, claim that it knew about the problems in 2015.
Facebook described the case against it as "without merit".
It said suggestions it had tried to hide the issue were "false".
In September 2016, Facebook admitted that it had overestimated how much video people had watched for the previous two years.
"We told our customers about the error when we discovered it - and updated our help centre to explain the issue," it said in a statement.
The error affected a Facebook metric called "average duration of video viewed", which was supposed to tell publishers for how long, on average, people had watched ..

]]>WhatsApp Reportedly Testing ‘Trip Mode’, Linked Accounts; Tweaks Notification Behaviour for Muted Chatshttps://digitalgeekery.com/whatsapp-reportedly-testing-trip-mode-linked-accounts-tweaks-notification-behaviour-for-muted-chats/
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 13:58:09 +0000https://digitalgeekery.com/whatsapp-reportedly-testing-vacation-mode-linked-accounts-tweaks-notification-behaviour-for-muted-chats/WhatsApp Reportedly Testing 'Vacation Mode', Linked Accounts; Tweaks Notification Behaviour for Muted ChatsAlongside actively working on curbing the circulation of fake news, WhatsApp is looking to improve the end user experience by adding new features. WhatsApp recently brought Picture-in-Picture mode for Instagram videos and a 'Swipe to Reply' gesture to its users on Android devices. Now, the Facebook-owned company is reportedly planning to introduce a Vacation Mode, as well as a "Linked Accounts" feature. Additionally, WhatsApp seems to have changed how notifications are handled for muted chats.
WhatsApp beta tracker WABetaInfo is reporting that WhatsApp for Android has already included a "Silent Mode" that hides the notification dots for muted chats. This means if you mute a chat on WhatsApp, you won't see how many new messages you've received in that chat directly from the WhatsApp icon on your Android smartphone. Previously, notifications from muted ..

Alongside actively working on curbing the circulation of fake news, WhatsApp is looking to improve the end user experience by adding new features. WhatsApp recently brought Picture-in-Picture mode for Instagram videos and a 'Swipe to Reply' gesture to its users on Android devices. Now, the Facebook-owned company is reportedly planning to introduce a Vacation Mode, as well as a "Linked Accounts" feature. Additionally, WhatsApp seems to have changed how notifications are handled for muted chats.

WhatsApp beta tracker WABetaInfo is reporting that WhatsApp for Android has already included a "Silent Mode" that hides the notification dots for muted chats. This means if you mute a chat on WhatsApp, you won't see how many new messages you've received in that chat directly from the WhatsApp icon on your Android smartphone. Previously, notifications from muted chats also counted towards the count of unread messages. It is said that the new feature is already enabled by default. However, it isn't available in the form of an option in the Settings menu so there's no way to disable the feature manually if you want to go back to the old behaviour.

Additionally, WABetaInfo reveals that a "Vacation Mode" is in the pipeline that has apparently been in works for some months. The feature is said make archived chats that have been muted to remain archived when a new message arrives in those chats. At present, WhatsApp automatically unarchives an archived chat once a new message is received in that chat. This behaviour will apparently be controllable via the Notifications settings on WhatsApp for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone. WABetaInfo has evidenced the upcoming feature by showing a screenshot that appears to be taken on a build of WhatsApp for iPhone.

Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

WhatsApp is also reportedly working on a Linked Accounts feature that will let users link their account with external services. While the option appears to be mainly focussed for WhatsApp Business users, it could also reach the standard WhatsApp version. It is said that the Linked Accounts option will be available under the Profile settings on WhatsApp and will initially support Instagram as an external service.

You will need to insert your credentials once by tapping the Instagram listing from the Linked Accounts option. This will link your WhatsApp account to your Instagram profile.

Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

It's possible the Linked Accounts feature will mainly help WhatsApp users recover the password of other Facebook services. Furthermore, it could help the users share their WhatsApp statuses on Instagram. The latter use case might be helpful for enterprises using the WhatsApp Business app.

]]>Microsoft patent highlights a possible VR textual content enter systemhttps://digitalgeekery.com/microsoft-patent-highlights-a-possible-vr-textual-content-enter-system/
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 13:00:50 +0000https://digitalgeekery.com/microsoft-patent-highlights-a-potential-vr-text-input-system/Computing Microsoft patent highlights a potential VR text input system By Jon Martindale @jonwhoopty — Posted on October 18, 2018 - 6:00AM 10.18.18 - 6:00AM Share on Facebook Tweet this Share Nick Mokey/Digital Trends Microsoft has been awarded a patent for a new virtual reality text input system that could prove to be a better way for writing complicated or lengthy text in VR when using motion controllers and Xbox gamepads. It uses a radial design with layered inputs and predictive elements that put the most likely of letters within easy reach depending on what’s being “typed.”
Despite QWERTY keyboards not offering the most accurate or intuitive keyboard layout, they still remain the most efficient mainstream method of creating lots of digital text quickly..

Microsoft has been awarded a patent for a new virtual reality text input system that could prove to be a better way for writing complicated or lengthy text in VR when using motion controllers and Xbox gamepads. It uses a radial design with layered inputs and predictive elements that put the most likely of letters within easy reach depending on what’s being “typed.”

Despite QWERTY keyboards not offering the most accurate or intuitive keyboard layout, they still remain the most efficient mainstream method of creating lots of digital text quickly. We should know, we spend all day doing it. But there may come a time when typists need to learn to use something else and the transition to virtual reality with motion controllers that don’t facilitate easy access to a keyboard — virtual or physical — could be that turning point.

To that end, Microsoft is looking to create an input mechanism for the virtual future and in the same breath, offer console gamers something more intuitive to use when “typing” with a gamepad. Its new patent offers a wheel interface that’s not too dissimilar to its Surface Dial, as WindowsCentral highlights, and could prove to be a much easier way for VR and console gamers to input text quickly and accurately than existing floating keyboards.

The patent recognizes that the QWERTY layout is designed with 10-finger inputs in mind, making it a poor choice for the single-cursor system currently offered by joystick controlled inputs. Its new typing wheel could see usage in virtual reality, mixed reality, and any platform where game controllers are the most common input mechanism.

As with any patent, there is no guarantee that Microsoft ever makes a product that utilizes this radial mechanism, but it did originally file it back in March 2018. That could mean that the company been developing the idea in the meantime, so in theory, it doesn’t have to be years away from a more general release. Since it’s a software-based solution to the typing problem in VR and on gamepads, it wouldn’t take much more than a patch to make it available to gamers the world over.

If such a move did take place, it would be interesting to see if such a technology was eventually used in other company’s VR headsets, like Oculus VR’s new Quest.

Editors' Recommendations

Tap Strap wearable keyboard gains support for VR applications

VR experience shows caregivers what it’s like to live with Alzheimer’s disease

Oculus Rift review

The $400 Oculus Quest brings more power to untethered VR gaming

Firefox Reality wants to bring the ‘whimsical web’ to VR

Don't MissAdobe’s craziest new tools animate photos, convert recordings to music in a click Up NextKeep Notes is the latest app to get Google's Material Design makeover Show Comments

]]>Tiny companion telephone launched in Japanhttps://digitalgeekery.com/tiny-companion-telephone-launched-in-japan/
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 11:15:02 +0000https://digitalgeekery.com/tiny-companion-phone-released-in-japan/Tiny companion phone released in Japan Image copyright NTT Docomo Image caption The credit-card-sized phone will fit inside a card holder A 5.3mm (0.2in) thick 4G phone has been announced by Japan's biggest telecoms firm NTT Docomo.
The compact device, which will be released in Japan next month, is designed to fit inside a card holder.
It is part of a trend to offer so-called companion mobile devices to those who already own larger smartphones.
The phone weighs 47g (1.6oz) and features an electronic-paper touchscreen, similar to e-books.
It will have limited functionality, with calls, texts and a net connection but no camera or facility to work with mobile apps.
The phone - dubbed Card Keitai KY-01L - will be made by electronics firm Kyocera.
The "simple, easy-to-carry" card phone is seen by NTT Docomo as a useful extra device for people who have already purchased large-screen smartphones.
NTT Docomo describes the mobile as the "world's thinnest" but that claim is likely to ..

A 5.3mm (0.2in) thick 4G phone has been announced by Japan's biggest telecoms firm NTT Docomo.

The compact device, which will be released in Japan next month, is designed to fit inside a card holder.

It is part of a trend to offer so-called companion mobile devices to those who already own larger smartphones.

The phone weighs 47g (1.6oz) and features an electronic-paper touchscreen, similar to e-books.

It will have limited functionality, with calls, texts and a net connection but no camera or facility to work with mobile apps.

The phone – dubbed Card Keitai KY-01L – will be made by electronics firm Kyocera.

The "simple, easy-to-carry" card phone is seen by NTT Docomo as a useful extra device for people who have already purchased large-screen smartphones.

NTT Docomo describes the mobile as the "world's thinnest" but that claim is likely to be disputed by other phone makers.

The Oppo R5 was 4.85mm thick when it was released in 2014, followed the same year by the Vivo X5 Max at 4.75mm.

And in 2016, Motorola released the Moto Z which was just under 5.2mm thick.

The KY-01L will cost 32,000 yen ($280, £216).

Ben Wood, chief analyst at research firm CCS Insight, said: "This flurry of so-called companion phones reflects the desire of phone makers to try and find new sales opportunities in a saturated market.

"A small companion phone looks like an appealing idea on paper but the devices tend to be a compromise and furthermore consumers have to pay for them over and above their existing smartphones as well as often requiring additional airtime fees too."

This week, a tiny Android smartphone designed to be a companion device was launched in the US.

]]>Uber Enters Trailer Leasing Enterprisehttps://digitalgeekery.com/uber-enters-trailer-leasing-enterprise/
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 10:42:35 +0000https://digitalgeekery.com/uber-enters-trailer-leasing-business/Uber Enters Trailer Leasing BusinessUber Technologies said on Wednesday it is entering the trailer leasing business.
The business, called Powerloop, will be a part of Uber Freight, which connects truckers with shippers, the company said.
Powerloop, which would rent trailers to carriers, is currently available in Texas, Uber said, adding that it expects to expand the new business to other US regions.
Powerloop's first customers include brewer Anheuser-Busch.
Money-losing Uber has been seeking new avenues of growth, including food delivery services, even as it battles intense competition in its core business of ride-hailing.
In August, the company said it would create a standalone business out of its long-haul trucking business, with plans to double its investment in the unit to drive growth.
San Francisco-based Uber plans to go public next year and could be valued at $120 billion (roughly Rs. 8.8 lakh crores), according to a media report.

]]>Why well being apps are just like the Wild West, with Apple simply driving into cityhttps://digitalgeekery.com/why-well-being-apps-are-just-like-the-wild-west-with-apple-simply-driving-into-city/
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 10:20:01 +0000https://digitalgeekery.com/why-health-apps-are-like-the-wild-west-with-apple-just-riding-into-town/October 18, 2018
Why health apps are like the Wild West, with Apple just riding into town Credit: CC0 Public Domain The heart rate monitor built into the new Apple Watch has sparked sharp debate over its risks and benefits, even though the feature was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.
But out of the spotlight, the FDA has been doing away with regulatory action altogether on many diagnostic health apps targeting consumers, seeking to accelerate digital health adoption by defining many of these as "low risk" medical devices.
As the number of mobile health apps surged to a record 325,000 in 2017, app performance is going largely unpoliced, leading to what's been dubbed a "Wild West" situation. Unfortunately for health consumers, the public can't rely on the research community to play the role of sheriff.
When colleagues and I recently examined the medical literature on direct-to-consumer diagnostic apps in a study pub..

Why health apps are like the Wild West, with Apple just riding into town

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The heart rate monitor built into the new Apple Watch has sparked sharp debate over its risks and benefits, even though the feature was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.

But out of the spotlight, the FDA has been doing away with regulatory action altogether on many diagnostic health apps targeting consumers, seeking to accelerate digital health adoption by defining many of these as "low risk" medical devices.

As the number of mobile health apps surged to a record 325,000 in 2017, app performance is going largely unpoliced, leading to what's been dubbed a "Wild West" situation. Unfortunately for health consumers, the public can't rely on the research community to play the role of sheriff.

When colleagues and I recently examined the medical literature on direct-to-consumer diagnostic apps in a study published in Diagnosis, we repeatedly found studies marred by bias, technological naïveté or a failure to provide crucial information for consumers. There was also a glaring lack of studies with actual consumers to see how they use these apps and what the impact on individual health, whether for better or worse, might be.

The app will see you now?

Interactive diagnostic apps now go well beyond "Dr. Google" keyword searches. They promise personalized information on whether a nagging symptom can likely be relegated to self-care or whether a visit to the doctor's office or even the emergency room may be needed. Some of these apps become so popular that they have been downloaded tens of millions of times.

To understand whether the promising nature of these apps is backed up by the evidence, we searched both the peer-reviewed literature and nonacademic sources. The disturbing unreliability of that evidence for the average consumer is starkly visible when you consider apps that "advise" (a carefully chosen word) whether you might have skin cancer.

There are hundreds of cancer-related apps. Perhaps because melanoma rates have been rising for decades and it's one of the most common young adult cancers, the largest group of articles we found focused on dermatology apps. One of the most prominent is Skin Scan.

If you're a physician or reasonably savvy consumer, Google Scholar provides the easiest access to evidence-based information. One of the first results that pops up is a 2013 article entitled, "Skin Scan: A demonstration of the need for FDA regulation of medical apps on iPhone." If that title suggests a certain lack of objectivity, the problem isn't limited to dermatology. We also found an orthopedist examining whether a symptom checker could "guess" the right diagnosis, and an ear, nose and throat doctor investigating whether an app could diagnose his own patients as well as he could.

That Skin Scan study sounding the alarm on regulation warned of a substantial potential for harm. Yet a separate study of the same app published online two years later was much more positive. Did app developers pour in improvements, or was it that the first researchers used their own skin growth photos while the second group used the smartphone's images?

The answer is unclear. More broadly, however, researchers often seemed unaware of the impact of basic technological distinctions such as whether an app relied on user answers to questions, "crowdsourced" answers to others or used inputs from a smartphone's camera and sensors.

More troubling was researchers' lack of understanding of the public's pressing need for reliable information. So, for instance, a study of four smartphone apps found that their sensitivity in detecting malignant skin lesions ranged from 7 percent to 98 percent. Yet the researchers chose not to identify any of the apps by name. Similarly, few studies mentioned cost (CrowdMed, for example, charges users a minimum of USD$149 per month), and those that did sometimes gave only a price range for a group of apps.

With scientific evidence sparse, consumers are left to rely upon online reviews – which, as a just-published study of popular blood pressure apps warned, can be dangerously wrong.

Or there's always a random web search.

In the case of Skin Scan, my search found that in July the company that developed the app reported a melanoma detection sensitivity of 96 percent. That "report," however, was part of a trade publication interview with SkinVision CEO Erik de Heus as the company announced it had raised another $7.6 million from investors.

Three years ago, a National Academy of Medicine report on diagnostic error called upon professionals to direct patients to reliable online resources. However, we found that search terms used by the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Life Sciences search engine have lagged the digital health revolution, and medical journals do a hit-or-miss job of simply indexing every app mentioned in an article. The English National Health Service has launched an Apps Library to cut through the confusion, but there's no similar resource in this country.

Is there a way to bring some order, if not law?

Some web-savvy researchers at sites like iMedicalApps are advising physicians about apps they can use themselves or others they can trust to recommend to their patients. Others trying to bring law and order to the wide-open health app field have suggested various frameworks, such as combining stakeholders' expertise in collaborative health app rating teams. The goal would be to get innovators, policymakers and evidence-generators to jointly help corral confusing and contradictory information.

And as the debate over using Apple Watch data to measure heart health shows, FDA approval alone doesn't remove the risk of consumers jumping to the wrong conclusion about what the information they're receiving actually means. Nonetheless, as the pioneering stage of health apps starts to settle into the medical mainstream, the health of the American public requires apps and devices we know we can trust.

Explore further

Apple, Salesforce teaming up on mobile apps for business Provided by The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Citation: Why health apps are like the Wild West, with Apple just riding into town (2018, October 18) retrieved 18 October 2018 from https://techxplore.com/news/2018-10-health-apps-wild-west-apple.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. shares

]]>Tumblr guarantees it mounted a bug that left consumer information uncoveredhttps://digitalgeekery.com/tumblr-guarantees-it-mounted-a-bug-that-left-consumer-information-uncovered/
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 05:50:49 +0000https://digitalgeekery.com/tumblr-promises-it-fixed-a-bug-that-left-user-data-exposed/A bug on blogging site Tumblr left user data exposed. The company says that once it learned of the flaw, it acted quickly to fix it, adding that it's confident no data linked to its users' accounts was stolen.
The post Tumblr promises it fixed a bug that left user data exposed appeared first on Digital Trends.

A bug on blogging site Tumblr left user data exposed. The company says that once it learned of the flaw, it acted quickly to fix it, adding that it's confident no data linked to its users' accounts was stolen.

The post Tumblr promises it fixed a bug that left user data exposed appeared first on Digital Trends.